Earth2Tech Week In Review

Craig Rubens

Dec. 15, 2007 - 9:00 AM PDT
Dec. 15, 2007 - 9:00 AM PDT

It was a sunny week in the world of cleantech with numerous announcements from solar companies. It was also an exciting week in the world of policy. The UN Convention on Climate Change is inching towards its conclusion. Domestically, the U.S. Senate passed a stripped down version of Energy Bill that will raise CAFE standards. We’ll keep an eye on Bali and the Energy Bill over the weekend while you catch up on this past week’s headlines:

SkyFuel Heats Up Solar Thermal: SkyFuel says it will soon announce major installations for “well-known members of the power industry.” Using decades-old trough technology and proprietary ReflecTech material, SkyFuel has also received some new money for their next-generation solar technology.

Commercial Solar in a “Land Grab”: At the ThinkGreen conference a panel discussion of commercial installers including Recurrent Energy, Energy Innovations, and Solar Integrated Technologies discussed the ongoing “land grab” that exists as installers fight to sign large clients and start to prove their different business models.

Are Virtual World Conferences a Cost-Effective Eco-Alternative?: Jet-setting is a sure way to send your carbon footprint into the stratosphere. The UN Convention on Climate Change had a video simulcast in Second Life, allowing attendees to travel virtually. But is this really a useful way to travel the globe in an eco-friendly way?